This is a full version of a Jacks or Better video poker strategy chart. Like most video poker strategy charts, it's a list of potential hands in order of return. You start at the top and go down until you find a hand that matches the hand you've been dealt, then you keep the cards indicated. Since the hands are in order of expected return, once you get to a hand, you just stop; you do not continue to go through the list of hands.
| Royal flush |
| Straight flush |
| Four of a kind |
| Four cards to a royal flush |
| Full house |
| Flush |
| Three of a kind |
| Straight |
| Four cards to a straight flush |
| Two pair |
| Pair of jack or better |
| Three cards to a royal flush |
| Four cards to a flush |
| 10-J-Q-K, unsuited |
| Pair of 10's or lower |
| 9-10-J-Q, unsuited |
| 8-9-10-J, unsuited |
| 9-J-Q, suited |
| 9-10-Q, suited |
| Four cards to a straight, open-ended |
| Three cards to a straight flush with two gaps & two high cards |
| Three cards to a straight flush with one gap & one high card |
| Three cards to a straight flush, open-ended, & no high cards |
| J-Q-K-A, unsuited |
| Two cards to a royal flush (two suited high cards) |
| Four cards to a straight with one gap & three high cards |
| Three cards to a straight flush with two gaps and one high card |
| Three cards to a straight flush with two gaps and no high card |
| J-Q-K, unsuited |
| Two unsuited high cards (throw away the ace if you have three) |
| Two cards to a royal flush with a 10 and no ace |
| One high card |
| Three cards to a straight flush, with two gaps and no high cards |
| None of the above - draw five cards |
A "gap" means that there is an inside card to a straight that's needed in order to complete a straight.
"Suited" cards are of the same suit.
"High cards" are jacks or better.
Be sure to visit the section on which casinos offer full pay Jacks or Better games in Las Vegas too, and also our article about free video poker.
This page was last updated on September 18, 2007.
